Another Set of Eyes
by HeCallsMeHisChild
Summary: Bwahahahaha! I finally have Dib exactly where I want him. He's unarmed, and completely in my power! Aaaaahh, I can just smell the sweet scent of revenge. And revenge I shall have, for I AM ZIM!
1. Foreshadowing

_"At last!" He cried. "At last! All my work has not been in vain. All those years of scorn, months of research, and now," he smiled evilly, "The culmination of my life!" He crossed the dim room to a metal table where a small form lay strapped to the surface._

_Dib smirked as he reached for the razor sharp scalpel, relishing the fear in Zim's scarlet eyes._

_Suddenly his world spun and he fell to the floor, stretched to the surface as his vision rocked wildly. When he tried to lift himself he couldn't. He could only stare in horror as he spotted Zim coming toward him with the scalpel. He couldn't even twitch as Zim laid it at his ear and whispered softly, "Prepare to meet your horrible doom, Dib-worm."_

/--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\

\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/

Dib's eyes flew open as his alarm clock screamed him awake. Suppressing his fear, he reached out a shaky hand and slapped the snooze button.

_Okay Dib, just relax. Only a dream, nothing more. Zim doesn't have you, and he never will. Breathe in, hold, breathe out. Breathe in, hold, breathe out. It'll be okay._

He yanked his hand through his sickle hair angrily. It would not be okay and he knew it. The nightmares had been coming every night for two weeks. He hadn't had this many nightmares since Mom had died. The thought only made him grit his teeth harder.

"Zim will pay for this," he muttered, jerking on his jacket. "Oh how he'll pay.

/--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\

\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/

_"No! You don't understand, it was all a mistake! I wasn't going to blow up earth. I swear!" He cowered before them, caught at the edge of a seaside cliff._

_A tall, black-cloaked figure stepped forward and smirked. "Then what's that remote doing in your hands?"_

_Zim glanced down at his claws, and they were, indeed, holding a remote detonator. Sweat ran down his face. "I was… Um… I, uh… You, you dare question Zim!" He shrieked._

_The figure he knew to be Dib laughed and pulled a bazooka from behind him. Zim relaxed and smiled. "Puny earth-worm. Do you think Irkins are so primitive that we can be destroyed by small explosives such as that?"_

_The figure never said a word. He aimed and pulled the trigger, releasing a torrent of shockingly cold water at Zim._

_His skin writhed with a thousand flames of pain. He screamed as it began melting away, leaving his bones, organs, and squeedly spooch exposed. He shivered as the Dib came closer with a surgical knife._

/--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\.../--\

\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/…...\''/

"Nooooooooo!" Zim dashed across the room and latched his spider legs to the ceiling before he realized what he was doing. Chuckling, he slumped against the couch with relief. "Dib-beast isn't here. No need to worry—" Then he scowled angrily. "Worry? Why should Zim ever worry? Fagh! But I must stop running these simulations in my mind. They distract me from my work." Running over to the toilet, he flushed himself down to the lab.

He stroked his instruments with delight and pride. His features hardened as he glanced at the screen above him, showing Dib fixing himself warm milk and honey.

_Poor Dibling,_ he sneered to himself. _Did you have a bad dream? Poor, pitiful human, needing sleep. Don't worry, you won't be needing it much longer._


	2. Failure

A haggard Dib stumbled downstairs to the kitchen. He shook his head at the sight of Gaz. It never ceased to amaze him how many things she could do while simultaneously playing her GameSlave. At the moment she was shoveling large spoonfuls of Choco-Sugar Nukes into her mouth while trouncing level 23.

Tiptoeing past her, Dib reached into the cupboard for the box of Nukes.

"I heard you like living." Gaz growled.

Sighing, Dib grabbed the BranGusto mix and dumped it in a bowl.

Gaz raised a brow as he sat across from her. "You're late, you know."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your yearly evaluation, moron. They have them an hour before Skool, remember?"

Dib shot up from his chair and dashed to his room as Gaz smirked and reached level 24.

00…00…00…00…00…00…00…00…00…00…00…00

The bell rang. One thousand one hundred and one kids flooded through the doors, cheering and screaming. One dejected figure trudged through the doors, head bowed and shoulders slumped.

"Failure," Mrs. Bitters had sneered. "You'll never amount to anything, but we all knew that."

His evaluation had been grueling, his outcome depressing. _What am I gonna tell Dad?_

Something flickered at the edge of his vision. Snapping his head up, he scanned the surrounding area. There! Just beyond the baseball field, a light was flashing. He checked his watch. _I've got a few minutes. Dad doesn't care when I get home anyway._ Tucking his books under his arm, he took off across the field toward the mysterious light.

Once across the field, he paused to catch his breath. He had a nagging sense of danger, but shoved it away. _Who could hurt me? In broad daylight no less._

His half-formed smirk froze. He toppled to the ground, clutching his head in agony. As his world faded to black, he heard Zim's voice.

"Pit-i-ful hy-u-man."


	3. Force Field

"Mama! Mama! Ma—" He clenched his eyes. Determined to control his nightmare reaction, he took in deep, deliberate breaths. A dull ache throbbed in his head. He cracked open one eye, wincing at the harsh… _Overhead light?_

In spite of himself his lids flew open and he tried to sit up. A deep shock burst over him and he fall back, his head buzzing with electricity. Collecting his wits, he cautiously reached his hand up, grimacing as a second shot coursed through him.

_Oh crud. Only one creature on earth has non-lethal force field technology._

"What is the matter, Dib-waste? Isn't your cell comfortable?"

Clenching his teeth, Dib slowly turned his head toward the voice. There he was, in all his green, Irken foreignness.

"So sorry for the headache, earthling, but soon these pains will be forgotten and overwhelmed with much worse pain!"

"Do your worst, Zim!" Almost as soon as he'd said it, Dib regretted it.

"Why thank-you, I shall. Right after we reach orbit."

"Orbit?"

"Yes, you echoing chasm of… echoes. We are currently in the outer atmospheric layer of your filthy planet."

Quirking his brow, Dib bit out, "Why so far out? Security of your lab been compromised?"

The smile that crossed the Irkin's face froze his sarcasm cold. "Apparantly you haven't experienced the capacity of a full human scream."

…… …… …… …… …… …… …… …… 

"Wheeeeeeeee! Piggy says hi, Dib!" Dib had to smile. No one could help loving the insane little robot, whether he was Zim's slave or not.

"Hey GIR. What's that on your head?"

"MY PIIIIIIIIIIG!" GIR screamed as he zoomed around Dib.

"GIR! Watch out, I've got a force field around me."

"Oooooooh, and it can hold your big head! It must be reeeeeeely strong. Lemme see."

"No GIR! Don't—"

GIR zoomed down toward Dib's face, pulling out of the dive centimeters from the force field. "Wooohooohooohoohooo! Dib's got force field! Can I have a taco?"

Dib relaxed. "Sure, GIR, go get a taco. They're in…" He frowned, remembering they were not in Zim's house. "I hid them. You have to go find them, okay?"

"TACOS!" Shrieked GIR as he zoomed out of the room, leaving a rather confused pig and an amused Dib behind.


	4. Fear

Rolling his eyes at the view the prison-cam gave, Zim went back to work. GIR could be quite amusing—and equally annoying—at times. _If only I could somehow lock him in duty mode._ Shuddering, he remembered what had happened the last time he had done that. GIR had made his locked mind up that Zim was a danger to his own project. "Me, the great Zim! Danger to my own project. I must run analysis on GIR's central computer someday and find the malfunction. If he has a central computer. " He sighed as he clasped his claws behind his head. "The Tallest always did like to play tricks."

………………………………………………………….

He heard the footsteps ringing down the hall. Anxiety clenched his stomach and he carefully rolled his head around. In the few hours he had been locked into the force field, he had quickly learned that moving an inch in any direction would deliver a powerful charge. _Leave it to Zim._ He thought bitterly.

Zim strode into view, pushing a lifter. Dib strained his eyes, but could not see what was on it; it was too high up. Noticing Dib's curiosity, Zim lowered the lifter to eye level.

Dib's heart stopped.

Piled on the lifter were hundreds of instruments, some sharp, some so technologically advanced he had no idea what they were. Dib's lips parted to form words, but all his mouth would do was open and close.

Zim did not explain. They both knew what he was there to do. Grinning sadistically, Zim threw back his head and let loose a long, evil laugh. Raising something that resembled a scalpel, he cried, "I AM ZIM!"

Then it began.


	5. Findings

Zim reached through the force field and tore through Dib's shirt with his claws, drawing blood where he had grazed Dib's skin. Dib bit his lip.

_I won't let him hear me scream._

The scalpel was cold. Much colder than metal ought to be. Zim laid it on several parts of Dib's torso, as if trying to decide where to cut first. But Dib knew better. The alien enjoyed his fear.

A sharp flash of pain tore across his stomach and he gasped in shock. Rolling away to the side, he hit the force field and blacked out.

…………………………………………………………

Zim scowled. The real enjoyment of this torture was supposed to be having Dib conscious! Grabbing a small chip from the lifter, he drilled a small hole in Dib's skull and slipped it in.

…………………………………………………………

Adrenaline shot through his veins as Dib started awake. He stared at Zim in confusion.

"Just a little device to ensure you are alert throughout the entire operation." He assured darkly. He picked up a twisted, sharp instrument and resumed.

The pain was like nothing Dib had ever felt. Every shredded cell screamed in agony. Dib could hardly keep his own screams back. He clamped his teeth together for all he was worth.

"You must be a bit nervous, Dib-beast. Your stomach is boiling like…" the Irkin frowned. Dib gasped as Zim lowered his face into the gaping hole that had been his stomach.

"That isn't a stomach." Zim muttered. "That looks like…" Suddenly the alien became frantic. He snatched instrument after instrument from the lifter and made rapid cuts and tears. As he dug deeper into Dib's body, the pain eclipsed his reason and control.

His scream shook the ship and resonated through deep space. His vocal cords stretched until he felt they would snap, but the scream kept coming.

Zim took no notice. He was too intent on his work. Pausing briefly, he jotted down something on a computer pad, then spoke to the computer. "Computer! Sew him back together."

**Analyzing wound and tissue damage. Preparing sutures and anesthesia.**

"No. No anesthesia."

**The pain might kill him.**

"He's too strong for that. Just do it."

**Processing request.**

"Request? I am Zim! I do not request."

**Processing command.**

"Much better."

A robotic arm extended from the wall and lowered to Dib's torso. He could not see what was being done, but he could feel it. Hundreds of needles stitching every slice, every cut, in seconds. But it was worse than feeling Zim's cutting tools. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came. Only a faint hissing.

In under a minute, Dib was whole again.

**Status report. Intestinal damage: repaired. Stomach punctures: sealed. Spleen rupture: recovered. Lung collapse: re-inflated. Missing vertebrate: replaced. Blood loss: replenished. Squeed—**

"Enough," hissed Zim. "How long before he recovers enough to walk again?"

**Two to three weeks before I can safely remove stitches from his stomach, four weeks total before he can walk without internal injuries.**

"Very good. Turn off the force field."

**Acknowledged.**

The buzzing that had surrounded Dib ceased. Zim stood and stared at Dib, his red eyes betraying bewilderment. Crossing his antennae, Zim turned on his heel and walked out. Dib finally slipped into blessed unconsciousness.

**Note:** Aaaaack! My brain's been scrambled. I kept typing Zib over and over instead of Zim. This is what happens in highschool, your brain gets flipped around, turned upside down, shaken, stir fried, and served sunny-side up at your local bed and breakfast.


	6. Forgotten

Zim cursed. His hands were shaking and his squeedly spooch was twisting and churning.

_It's just not possible!_ His mind howled. _How could this have happened?_

…………………………………………………

Every breath hurt, every muscle screamed. Dib groaned feverishly, clenching and unclenching his fists. He could feel the computer's robotic arms probing him, checking his condition. He wanted nothing more than to shove them away, but he had no strength. With his mind clouded by pain, his imagination ran unfettered.

_I'll never see earth again. Zim will take me back to Irk and present me as a live display to his Tallest. I'll be gawked at, poked at, and dissected live over and over again. I'll be their science project; their only living earth specimen. No, Zim will keep me here in orbit and destroy earth cause I'm not there to stop him. Then he'll come back and torment me whenever he's in a bad mood to cheer himself up. I'll live the rest of my days being torn apart and sealed back together. But—_he started, moaning as the motion pulled at his stitches. _Isn't that exactly what I was going to do to Zim?_ Hysterical laughter bubbled up in his throat and he laughed great, raspy laughs, crying from the pain, but unable to stop.

_Cosmic justice to the highest degree._

…………………………………………………

Zim marched down the hall, his boot steps echoing. Poking his head into sickbay, he peered at Dib. He seemed conscious enough. Confident, Zim marched in. Dib's eyes widened and he tried to roll away, but shrieked at the pain.

Zim reached him and clamped one set of claws around his skull. Within seconds he located the hole he had drilled and shoved in a second chip.

…………………………………………………

Terror coursed through Dib. A sense of otherness invaded his mind, grasping for knowledge, searching for memories. He fought, he formed a wall of will and barricaded his mind. But the searching tendrils swatted them aside and penetrated his memories. He watched helplessly as his life flashed by him.

_Dib, even the oddest things have great worth._

_What do you think you're doing! You must never touch…_

_You brought them! You betrayed—_

_Pieces of hair and green skin fly, her violet eyes wide in shock._

_--forgive you—_

_You are my Dib, don't forget—_

…………………………………………………

Astonished, Zim stared in fascination as great drops of water poured from Dib's eyes. The human seemed to be having trouble breathing, but a brief examination revealed the situation was temporary.

Reaching a claw into the hole, he grasped the chip and pulled it from Dib's head. Satisfied, Zim rushed from the room, heading for the viewing room.


	7. Forget Me Not

"This cannot be! I refuse to believe it!" But there it was, staring Zim in the face. Dib's whole life laid out, every memory catalogued. "But how?" he hissed. "No Irkin would dare, no Irkin could! We are all controlled by the Control Brain, how could one have slipped through?"

…………………………………………………

_A small child with a huge head and a shock of black, sickle-like hair crawls onto a female human's lap. Water runs from his eyes as he stutters about how the kids at Skool keep making fun of him._

_"Mamá, I really saw him. It was Bigfoot, I swear!"_

_The woman smiles and holds him close. "Ah Dib, it's alright. It'll be okay." She pulls him away and studies his eyes. "Listen closely Dib, I may not believe in this Bigfoot you've seen—" she silences his protests with a finger on his lips, "But I believe in you. You're a very smart boy, Dib, and whatever you want to do with your life is alright with me. No matter what you do, I'll always love you." She smiles and holds him again. He wraps his arms around her neck, crying._

…………………………………………………

_Dib runs to his Mamá, holding something. "Look! Look, Mamá, it's proof! The government has been putting mutating thingies in our fertilizer. Look at this grasshopper—it has two heads! We should kill it so we can put it on display. Then they'll all know!"_

_Mamá opens his hands and gently pulls the crushed grasshopper from his hands. "Dib," she says sternly, "Even the oddest things have great worth." She takes it to her room and closes the door, leaving an angry Dib._

…………………………………………………

_Dib slams the door. He is furious. His first piece of evidence, gone! Just because Mamá didn't understand. And how could she? Dad says she crossed the border from Mexico. She can speak English well, but cannot yet read or fit in with the other people, which is why she stays at home so much._

_He sneaks over to her room and pokes the door open. She is asleep. Good. Maybe he can get his grasshopper back. Tiptoeing, he crosses the room to her dresser. There, on top, is the grasshopper. It lies in a kind of crystalline dome that shines in light. Stunned, he sees the creature has healed somewhat from his crushing grip._

_Next to the dome is an ornately carved box. Maybe it contains another strange thing. He cautiously opens the lid, and yelps at the great flash of light. He sprawls backward, shielding his eyes. In an instant, Mamá is beside him, a horrified look on her face._

_The light forms into a screen. On the screen is a tall, stick-thin creature. It slightly resembles a human, but its skin is green, it has two antennae, and its eyes are a solid green color._

_"Ah, Invader Stok. We wondered when you would contact us. We have learned of your defection. Congratulations! We've finally pinpointed your location and will be dropping by with a house-warming gift soon. Tallest out."_

_The light disappears and the box explodes, showering Dib and Mamá with splinters._

_"What did you think you were doing?" she towers over him, screaming. "You should never have touched that! Why were you in here in the first place?"_

_Dib's lip quivers. "I wanted my grasshopper back."_

_"Your grasshopper? Your grasshopper!" Her voice becomes shriller and her form wavers. "Get out! Get out!_

…………………………………………………

_Dib is still grounded. He sits in his room, tinkering with his tool kit. Suddenly a great noise comes. He drops his tools and rushes to the window. A giant ship hovers above his house. His mother is in the garden, just outside his window. She is staring at the ship, utterly frozen in place, her trowel still in her hand._

_"Invader Stok, disperse the hologram."_

_"No," she pleads. "No, he mustn't see, somewhere else, please!"_

_"Disperse the hologram."_

_"NO!"_

_She clenches her hands around the trowel. Her form begins to ripple, faster and faster and faster. Dib can't look away. Within seconds, his Mamá's olive-tan skin, rippling black hair, and deep violet eyes are replaced with shockingly green skin, two antennae, and deep violet orbs, pleading mercy._

_"Mamá! What are you?" He stretches out his hands, pleading for understanding._

_She turns to him, terror in her eyes. "You brought them here! You betrayed me!"_

_"No! It was an accident, I didn't mean to—"_

_A beam of red light shoots down from the ship and strikes her back. Pieces of hair and green skin fly off as her violet eyes widen in shock. Her body is peeling away, her organs are melting._

_She reaches a skeletal hand to Dib. "Dib—" she gasps for breath. "Dib—forgive you—you are my Dib, don't forget—" She melts away, leaving a puddle of greenish-violet goo among the flowers._

_The ship roars into the sky, leaving a trail of blue smoke behind. Dib manages to scream, "Mamá!" Before collapsing on the ground._


	8. Reporting In

"Invader Zim reporting in, my Tallest!"

Tallest Red sighed. "What now Zim?"

Zim frowned. "Where is Tallest Purple?"

"Getting our curly fries, now what do you want?"

"My Tallest, I have found a half breed."

Reds eyes doubled in size and he made small, choking noises. "Wha—not possible—incompatible—how—who—" Taking a ragged breath, he whispered, "Who is it?"

"One previously thought to be completely human, an inhabitant of earth, one Dib Membrane."

Red's eyes narrowed. "The one you're always calling in to complain about?"

"Yes, but that does not color my observations! I am sending you a complete report of my findings when I dissected him."

"You dissected him without permission?" Red roared.

Zim winced. "I thought he was just a human! Besides, I kept him alive. He'll be able to walk in a few weeks."

"What did you find?"

"In addition to several human organs, he seems to have something that appears to be a combination of a stomach and a squeedly spooch. Also, my chips have collected data from his brain, revealing his intelligence to be higher of any human in the history of the planet. Despite the fact that his father is quite the scientist, it is statistically impossible that Dib could be the smartest human in the world."

Relaxing, Red queried, "Well, what do you propose?"

Zim grinned evilly. "Irkin law section 8765-4g9p."

A smile spread across Red's face. "Excellent, Zim. You are temporarily relieved of your post at Earth. Bring this Dib to Irk, we will hold the trial there."

Wiggling his antennae furiously, Zim replied, "Yes, my Tallest."

………………………………………………………

"Really, GIR, it makes sense." Dib confessed softly. "Dad never let me or Gaz go to the doctor's, he always examined us himself. He never supported my claims about aliens, he hoped I would drop it on my own and not find out. Now I even remember the day he took me down to his lab and put something on my head. After that, I didn't remember what had happened to Mamá, except what he told me, which was a lie."

"Don't worry, Dib. Lotsa Irks got big heads!" GIR chirped. He hovered above Dib for a moment, then took off around the room, laughing.

Dib closed his eyes in frustration. "Forget it. You'll never understand, you're just an insane, maniacal robot that belongs to an evil little alien."

GIR halted briefly and drew closer to Dib's cot. "I sorry about Dib's Mommy." he said contritely. Dib looked at him, then smiled crookedly.


	9. Reception

Four weeks passed quickly. Dib had not heard from or seen Zim and he was concerned. "What's he up to?" He muttered. His only companion was GIR, the only reason Dib hadn't slid into mental collapse.

………………………………………………………..

_"Wheeeeeee, Big-Head, whatcha in the corner for? I got squirrels!"_

_"Go away, GIR."_

_"Awwww, some-body needs a huu-uug!"_

_"Get off me, GIR."_

_**GIR, administer medication to Dib. Dib will not allow me near him.**_

_"Okee dokee. Di-ib, computer says you gotta drink this icky stuff."_

_"Let me die, GIR."_

_"Awww, that's not fun. Now drink up! I'll give you your very own parakeet when you're done! Wheeeeeee!" GIR spun in circles on the floor, faster and faster. Dib glanced up from the corner, and at that instant GIR pulled out of the spin and launched a spoonful of vile, purple liquid down his throat. Dib spluttered and gagged in surprise. GIR grinned. "Gotcha! I go get a parakeet, woohoo!"_

………………………………………………………..

Dib smiled. He had regained the use of his legs and could take short walks around his new prison cell, but he still had to be careful of his torso. Frowning, he yelled, "GIR, where's Zim?"

"Awww, Master's been reeeeel cranky lately. Says we gonna go home."

Confused, Dib asked, "What are you talking about? When did he say that?"

"Uhhhh, lotsa weeks ago."

"But it only took a day to get into earth's orbit… he's not taking me back to earth." His head snapped up. "GIR! Where are we going?"

"Home! Home home home home!" Shrieked GIR, giggling madly.

Dib groaned. "Stupid me, _Zim's_ home. He's taking me to Irk."

………………………………………………………..

Zim relaxed in his control chair. He had practiced his docking maneuvers since Irkin Academy and could dock in his sleep. Casually he pressed a button and eased back on a lever, bringing them in to the docking bay.

Stretching mightily, he cracked his knuckles and declared, "Another perfect landing for ZIM!"

The ship's bay doors swung open with a crack. Glaring, Zim launched from his chair, yelling, "Who crack's Zim's doors? If so much as one scratch is found on them, I shall wreak such doom… oh, my Tallest! Welcome to my humble Voot Cruiser." He wiggled his antennae reverently.

Tallest Purple floated forward, an eager, hungry expression on his face. "Bring us to this half-breed creature."

"Immediately, my Tallest." He clicked his boots and led them down into the bowels of the ship.

………………………………………………………..

"Dib-freak, stand and salute the Tallest!" Dib stood slowly.

"So," he murmured, "These are the Tallest you were always ranting about."

Zim unlocked the cell door and stomped in, followed by two hovering aliens. "I said SALUTE THE TALLEST!"

"Why should I? They're not _my_ 'Tallest'."

He was flung against the wall so quickly he didn't know which alien had thrown him. His cheek burned. Reaching up a hand to cover it, he felt deep gouges and wetness.

"As I have said, he is quite an insolent… creature. I apologize for his behavior, but you know lower life forms." Zim shrugged.

"Indeed." Tallest Red hummed to himself. "Well, have him taken to our Maximum Security cell until the trial. It will convene in three hours. That will be all. Oh, one more thing, what was the name of the criminal Invader who did this?"

"Stok, sirs. Invader Stok."

Purple's mouth formed an "o" and Red's eyes became slits. "Very good, Zim. Since you know this… thing… we have assigned you to keep watch on him until it is decided what is to be done with him. We may even allow you to carry out the sentence."

Zim chuckled evilly.

"What sentence? I haven't done any—Aaaugh!" Electricity shot through Dib's body. Zim resheathed his stun gun and saluted the Tallest as they left. Sighing annoyedly, he latched a set of strange-looking handcuffs on Dib and marched him out of the Cruiser.

Dib took in his surroundings at a glance. No trees. No grass. No animals. The only living things he could see were the crowds of Irkins bustling about. Sheets of dull metallic substances paved the ground beneath him and shiny silver buildings and towers stretched to the horizon.

"Where are your other life-forms?" he asked, sadly.

"We had no need of them." Zim sniffed coldly. "Anything even slightly inferior is instantly destroyed." Dib shuddered.

Zim continued to drag him along. Soon Dib refused to look at anything but the ground in front of him.

_The planet is so… dead. No beauty. No wonder they can't feel._

………………………………………………………..

A brusque Irkin ran up to the pair, gesturing for them to stop. "Zim! Over here, Zim!"

"Invader Skoodge? What are you doing back on Irk?" Zim questioned.

Skoodge grinned idiotically. "I got pulled back, they said they was going to reassign me to a nice place called, uh, Exeetermee-nation. I always wanted myself a nation, and now I get to invade one!" He beamed with pride.

Zim smirked. "Very nice, Skoodge. Now if you'll excuse me, I must reach the jail with this thing."

Skoodge's face clouded over. "Oh, no Zim. Tallest sent me with a message to you. They said council's meeting right now for the trial and to get over there as quickly as possible."

"Thank you, Skoodge. You've been most helpful." Zim sighed. He pulled a microphone from his PAK. "GIR, get over here." Just over two minutes later, GIR zoomed into view.

"Hiya, Master! Want some taco? I made it myself!"

"Later, GIR. Right now I need you to transport Dib and I to the council headquarters, our presence is required."

"Yay! Do I get some presents?"

"Just go GIR."

GIR's eyes flared red. "I hear and obey, Master!" Grabbing Zim and Dib, he rocketed down the street, leaving a trail of dazed Irkins in his wake.

The smell, of that… CHEESE! It sickens. And your lippy… smacky noises… aren't helping.


	10. Revealed

"Invader Zim, lead the prisoner forward."

Zim pulled Dib forward onto a lifter, which dropped them to the center of an arena. At the far end, the Tallest presided. The thousands of seats surrounding them were filled with Irkins, jostling each other for the best seats. A hush fell over them when Dib was brought into view.

Dib cowed, fixing his eyes on the ground. Much to his annoyance, Zim felt a pang of sympathy for the earthling. He had had to face the Tallest and the arena full of Irkins when taking the Invader's Oath.

"Stand straight, Dib." He hissed. "Fear is a sign of weakness."

Dib stiffened and stared ahead.

"What now?" He asked.

"You will be tried, but we all know you'll be convicted."

"Why? What did I do?"

Zim snorted. "You're a half-breed, Dib. Invader Stok paid the ultimate price for diluting the perfection of the Irkin race, they will expect no less from you." Dib swallowed hard.

"But it's not my fault!" His breath came in quick spurts.

Automatically, Zim patted his shoulder. "Be brave, soldier." Aghast, he snatched his hand away as if Dib had burned him.

"What I mean is, well, you're, you were…" Zim clenched his zipper-like teeth and gritted out, "You were a worthy adversary and I…" His face contorted, "I respect you."

Before either of them could react to Zim's confession, Tallest Red called the trial to order.

……………………………………………………….

"Dib Membrane, state your race."

Wringing his hands, he quailed, "I no longer know."

"State what race you previously believed yourself to be."

"Human."

"Home planet?"

"Earth."

"How long have you believed in the existence of, what you call, aliens?"

"Since I was two years old."

"Invader Zim, please repeat that in Irkin terms."

"He means since he was a very small smeet, Almighty Tallest." Explained Zim.

Red smiled. "Good. Now, we have read the reports made by Zim. He charges that along with your normal human organs, you have a cross between a stomach and a squeedly spooch, a fully Irkin heart, and an intelligence level no human in the history of your planet has been able to boast of."

Purple continued. "From the tests we ran on your DNA, you are the son of Professor Membrane of Earth and Invader Stok of Irk, one of the last PAKless Irkins. When we called up her file and DNA, we found further incriminating evidence that—"

"But," Dib interrupted, "What was criminal about what she did?" He glanced at Zim's furious features. "Almighty Tallest." He added reluctantly.

Both scowled. "According to Irkin Law section 8765-4g9p, any Irkin shameful enough to dilute the perfection of the race, such as she did, is condemned to death, along with any descendants he or she may have had, whether or not they were conceived before such heinous actions."

Purple's face twisted into an evil leer. "So you see, Dib Membrane, I'm afraid the only decision available is to sentence you to death. You will be injected with a serum composed of nanobots that will flock to your heart and stop its beating. That way we can still have your body intact for any tests our scientists may wish to conduct."

Zim noticed Dib's form beginning to crumple beside him. "Stand! Stand! You are representing your race, your planet! You must stand!" He whispered tersely.

Somehow Dib found the strength to straighten, but the expression on his face struck Zim cold. Never before had he seen despair or defeat on Dib's face. Shaken, the alien grasped his arm and began to lead him away.

"We have not concluded the trial!" Red's voice thundered. Sighing, Zim turned around.

_The Tallest do harp on ceremony. They'll conclude the trial _officially_ in a moment._

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," sneered Purple, "We researched Invader Stok's file and her DNA sample, searching for any other beings she may have birthed. We found that, aside from Dib Membrane, she birthed a single, purely Irkin smeet. Invader Zim, you are sentenced to the same fate as Dib, for you also were born of the late Invader Stok."


	11. Reconsider

"What are you talking about?" Zim shouted. "I was tube-bred!"

"Actually," drawled Red, "you were born prematurely, which made you a candidate for tube-gestation."

Zim's mind scrambled to make sense of what he had just heard. He quickly broke down the facts for himself.

_I was a smeet born of a traitorous Irkin female._

_Dib was her child of traitorous conception. Most likely Gaz was as well._

_Do they know about Gaz?_

_Dib and I are about to be executed._

"But, my Tallest!"

"Silence. Zim, you know the law, you quoted it yourself. Guards, lock them in MaxSec Cell #3. The sentence will be carried out in one hour."

……………………………………

Zim slammed his head against the unforgiving cell wall over and over.

"How could they do this to me?" he raged. "All I _ever_ did was serve them, obey them. I, ZIM, practically _licked their feet!_"

Silence was his only answer.

He slumped against the wall, weak with rage and feelings of betrayal. "But… I… am… Zim…" he clenched his eyes shut, slamming the lid down on his feelings. "To be Irkin is to be in control. Now, what are the facts? I have served the empire all my life. I have sacrificed all for them, my mind, my talents, my time. If I accept my execution, I will be written down in Irkin history as a brave soldier who accepted the verdict of the Tallest unquestioningly. If I attempt anything, even an off-world message, I will be portrayed as a coward and traitor, just like Invader Stok."

He rubbed his temples, ignoring the painful protest of his head.

_But what have they ever done for me? I gave them all and got nothing back._

_Nothing but the finest military training in the known universe._

_Which merely prepared me to land on an alien planet where poisons abound and the inhabitants try to kill me through stupidity or hate._

He glanced over at Dib, curled up in the corner of the dim cell.

_He doesn't deserve this. He's still a smeet._

_Still a smeet? What am I thinking? This creature has fouled my attempts at planet-domination more times than I can count!_

_Would I have done any less if Irk was being attacked?_ The thought took him aback. _If Dib was only doing his duty to his planet, how can I despise him?_

_Because his greatest wish was to have you on an autopsy table, organs splayed out for all to see._

A brief feeling of guilt flickered through him.

_I think we are even on that point._

……………………………………

Dib hugged his knees, numb.

_Failure._ Mrs. Bitters was right. He would never amount to anything now, just some Irkin scientist's prime display.

What a way to go.

Everything GIR had lifted him out of sucked him back down again: Zim probing his insides and the sick feeling of personal violation. The memories of the past screaming that he was really everything he had taught himself to hate. And now, he was helpless in the grip of an alien government that said he was a mistake. That he should never have existed.

Miserably, he wondered if they were right.

……………………………………

"Dib-thing, do not mope any longer. Listen to me! They are coming to execute us in half an hour. We have to come up with a plan."

A beleaguered Dib glanced up. "For what?"

"For what? FOR WHAT!" Zim exploded across the room and seized Dib's jacket collar. "Don't you care that your puny existence is about to be utterly erased?"

Dib wouldn't answer. Realizing with a shock that Dib really didn't care, he let him slide to the floor.

"Fine, maybe you _don't_ care, but I do! I am ZIM and I will not let anybody, _not ever the Tallest,_ exterminate me!" Slapping his PAK he extended the microphone and yelled, "GIR! Go warm up the Voot Cruiser and then break us out of MaxSec Cell #3."

"Wheeee…. Master! How are you?"

"GIR!"

"Oh, you grumpy agai—hey, it's a plonkee! I wuv plonkees."

"GIR!"

"Aw, he's screaming. He wants to play tag! Here I come, plonkee!"

Sighing, Zim muttered, "Omega-beta-365."

"Right, my Master." GIR barked.

Dib raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it dangerous locking him in duty mode?"

Zim shrugged. "I installed this feature for emergency use only, and I have a shut-off code."

"Why Zim, you showed foresight. Congratulations."

"Shut your meat-hole."

The room fell silent as the minutes ticked by. Dib languidly counted the ceiling tiles as Zim cracked his… knuckles.

"So-o, Dib-filth. Are you going to come or are you going to stay and let them kill you?"

Dib eyed him cautiously. "Why do you care?"

"I don't!" Zim snapped. "But now that I am in possession of the knowledge that we are… related… I have a responsibility for you."

A grin cracked Dib's face. "Well, whaddaya know, it has a heart."

Stung, Zim lashed, "An Irkin's familial duty, nothing more!"

"I thought your kind are never told who your biological family is. Don't give me that trash about familial duty when you've never had a family to owe a duty to."

"Master, I have obeyed. Greetings, large-head."

Zim whirled around and there stood his little android, eyes flashing red, by a hole in the floor.

"Wonderful, GIR. Does this tunnel to the Voot Cruiser?"

"Yes, my lord!"

"Excellent. Prepare it for lift off."

GIR ducked into the hole, vanishing from sight. Zim motioned to it. "Well, are you coming?" Without waiting for a reply, Zim lowered himself through the floor.

After a moment's hesitation, Dib pulled himself over and slipped in after Zim.


	12. ReHealed

Dib easily caught up with Zim and they crept through the tunnel. Zim stopped, frowning. He motioned to Dib, who pressed his ear against the wall. "I hear buzzing… something about whether or not lasers should be involved…"

"That's them!" Zim snarled. "Come, they will find our empty cell in seconds, and there will be a lockdown for all of Irk! We must get to the cruiser!"

Abandoning caution, they raced down the tunnel. A sharp pain stabbed Dib's side. He cried out, but kept running. As the tunnel slanted upward, Dib found it more and more difficult to breathe. His legs wobbled, but he pushed onward.

They burst into the cruiser just as alarms began ringing. Purple's frantic voice was broadcasted on loudspeakers around the planet. "Attention all Irkins! Two very dangerous criminals have escaped from the MaxSec center. It is very important that we catch them! Even more important than the next shipment of shakes coming in on time, so we are halting all shipping on and off planet until they are found! Zim, if you can hear me, give yourself up, and that half-breed too!"

"Eat meat, Tallest Purple." Zim muttered, startling himself and Dib.

Zim sat at the controls and stretched briefly. Cracking his spine, he typed coordinates into the cruiser's computer and pressed a button. The ship pushed off the docking bay and zoomed into space.

"That was too easy." Zim checked his radar nervously. Sure enough, three Decimators were on his tail. "I knew it!"

Battle euphoria crept up on him, and before he knew it, he was yanking levers and spinning knobs that would have horrified any Voot Cruiser instructor. The ship dipped and spun, narrowly avoiding the laser-cannons of the Decimators. Turning to face his attackers, Zim zoomed in on them head-on. Two veered off course. The third floated where it was, uncertain of what to do. He relieved it of the decision by blasting it.

"Hey, Master, Dib don't look too good. Think waffles might help?" Zim glanced back to see Dib sprawled on the floor, retching.

"Blast! Why are your earth-bodies so fragile? You've reopened your wounds, you are having massive internal… what's that word for that fluid you're spitting?"

"Blood, Zim," Dib choked. "Internal bleeding."

"Yes, right. GIR, take Dib back to the cargo bay and strap him down to something. He must not move too much, or he might die. Thank Irk I did some research on these pathetic shells they call bodies."

An impact rocked the ship. GIR stumbled down to the cargo bay, whistling about piggies and dragging Dib behind him.

Zim turned back to the controls. _These feelings of concern are distracting and annoying!_ He railed. Enraged that he had not kept tighter control of himself, he released a torrent of missiles at the nearest Decimator. The explosion gave him great satisfaction.

The last Decimator tucked away its weaponry and sped back to Irk. "Again," Zim murmured uneasily, "Too simple. But I must take what I can get." Setting his controls on auto-fly to the highest speed, he hurried to the cargo bay.

……………………………………

Dib moaned. "Why must it hurt… so much?" The pain flashed up his stomach through his chest. The fact that GIR was sitting on him and chattering about the Crazy Monkey Show wasn't helping.

"Get off of Dib, GIR, he needs treatment." Zim's frustrated voice floated through Dib's haze of pain.

"Yes sir!"

"And bring me some CurHal gel, quickly!"

"Okee-dokee."

Dib felt Zim's hands fumbling at his shirt. Panic washed through him.

……………………………………

_Zim reached through the force field and tore through Dib's shirt with his claws, drawing blood where he had grazed Dib's skin._

_I won't let him hear me scream._

_The scalpel was cold. Much colder than metal ought to be._

_The pain was like nothing Dib had ever felt. Every shredded cell screamed in agony. _

"_That isn't a stomach." Zim muttered. "That looks like…" _

_As he dug deeper into Dib's body, the pain eclipsed his reason and control._

_His vocal cords stretched until he felt they would snap, but the scream kept coming._

……………………………………

"Dib, Dib! You must not struggle, I must operate and seal the wounds! The computer is not here to do it right now, Dib! Can you hear me?"

Dib thrashed and flailed. "Not again! Not again, you filthy alien, you won't cut me open again!"

Zim grabbed his flailing arms and held them down. He stuck his face into Dib's and hissed, "Listen, earth-scum, I could let you die right here from loss of blood and organs that have split wide open, but I won't. What I need you to do is trust me!"

"Trust you?" Dib laughed raggedly, breaking off into hacking coughs that brought up more blood. "Why should I trust you? We've never trusted each other. Heck, if I could have had you on an autopsy table before this whole thing happened, I would have been happy. Why should I trust you?"

"Because you don't really have a choice you filthy, disgusting, slimy, egotistical bag of muck!" Shrilled the alien. Yanking a hose from the near wall, he shoved it over Dib's nose. He struggled weakly, but he was starting to see white. He fought sleep with all of his might, but all of his might wasn't enough and he fell into a dreamless slumber.

……………………………………

Hours passed. Zim wiped the sweat from his head with his free hand and continued working with the other. Most of Dib's organs he had been able to salvage, but the squeedly spooch/stomach was giving him difficulty. It didn't have a proper shape and was coated in a slimy purple goo that kept it slipping through Zim's claws.

"Lemme tryit, Master."

Zim glanced at the little SIR unit cynically. "You? This is a joke, right?"

"Nuh-uh. Sometimes I stop the Scary Monkey Show and watch E.R. I love that show! It's taught me eeeeeeverything there is to know about Dib-people thingies. Lemme try!"

Not waiting for an answer, he pushed Zim out of the way and clamped his metal hands on Dib's elusive organ. Within seconds he had sealed it shut and closed the operating hole Zim had cut through Dib's stomach.

Zim stared in slack-jawed disbelief. "That was… amazing, GIR."

"I know. I gotta go tell mini-moose! She'll be so glad to meet piggy." He zoomed off to the far end of the cargo bay, laughing hysterically. Silently, Zim retreated to the supply closet to gather cleaning supplies.

_Humans make such a mess when they're sick._


	13. Reviewed

**Note:** I'm very sorry I haven't been updating as consistently as I used to. For one thing, I found that finishing homework before writing on FanFic helped solve my sleep-deprivation problems, and for another, I've been very sick for a couple of days. So thank you all for your patience in the matter.

…………………………………………………………………….

"…monitor his condition and report!"

"…--ed boy's a biiiiiig sleepy-head…"

"…any minute now, unless he's avoi…"

_Like sand bags on my eyes…_ Bile rose in Dib's throat. _He dissected me again, didn't he?_ Heaving with all his strength he cracked one eye. All he could see was… _cyan?_

A scream ricocheted through his skull.

"AIIEEE! Master, he's alive! He's alive!"

"I know that, GIR."

"No, I mean he wakeded!"

"Oh, let me see."

GIR's face was replaced by Zim's.

"Dib! Are your audio units intact?"

Dib pried his jaws apart. "Wa—"

Zim yanked his antennae and swore. "Oh Irk! I should have known you'd need…" his lips curled in disgust, "Water. But I administered it all to you on the journey to Irk. There's none left!"

Dib closed his eye. His tongue lay swollen in his parched mouth and a vicious headache pounded at him, both signs of dehydration. _I can't last much longer without—_

"Heeey, master, looky here!"

"Not now, GIR, I'm trying to think."

"Aww, you don't wanna see me do a whale?"

"No."

"But I can spout water an' everything!"

"GIR I said… water? you brought water?"

"Yepp!"

"Where did you keep it?"

"In ma belly."

"Let me guess," Zim groaned, "You left my toolkit at the base."

GIR giggled and a splash of water hit Dib's face.

"No GIR! We mustn't waste it, the Dib needs it."

Claws gently pulled his lips apart and water flowed in. It was tepid and tasted like metal, but he couldn't remember a sweeter drink.

…………………………………………………………………….

Weeks passed. Dib had mostly recovered from his operation, but he would not speak to Zim. The alien had given up trying long ago and resigned himself to the cockpit, maintaining a steady course for earth. Dib kept to the cargo bay, trying to hold his sanity together with GIR as his companion.

_I should talk to him, say something._

_Like what?_ Dib snorted. _Hiya, half brother, thanks for babysitting me and nursing me back to health!_

He no longer thought Zim had dissected him again, GIR had set him straight on that. But the confusion would not go away, and he doubted it ever would. The last thing he wanted was to talk to Zim when he couldn't even figure out what was going on in himself.

…………………………………………………………………….

Zim scowled at the controls. The monitor had been bleeping at a flicker of energy for the last hour, but Zim couldn't figure out why.

_It's not enough energy to be a ship, but it looks like it might be some kind of life form. But what kind of life-form flickers in and out of being?_

"Zim?" Startled, Zim spun around to spot Dib, leaning against the doorway.

"Dib! I wasn't expect… You didn't… I was just… I didn't mean…" _Appalling! With one word he reduced me to stuttering!_ Glaring fiercely, he snapped, "What do you want?"

Dib slid quietly into the co-pilot seat and said, "I'd like to see her again."

"Who?"

"My M—Invader Stok."

Zim sighed. "This nostalgia is incomprehensible to me. Look Dib, any Invader declared a traitor to Irk, including me now, has all record of him or her wiped out, except a recording of their execution, and that is buried so deep in the control brain that only the Tallest can have access."

"There's one place they forgot." Dib smiled faintly.

"Forget? An Irkin would never overlook something so important!" Zim insisted.

"No Zim, they did."

"Fine, you know-it-all dirt-smeet, what did the mighty Irkin Armada overlook when they erased Invader Stok's existence from the face of the universe?"

"My memories, Zim."

Zim's mouth opened and closed several times. _Irk! I hate it when he's right._

Gentler than before, he turned Dib's head and found the hole. Reaching into a pouch at his belt, he pulled a chip out and eased it into the hole. Dib winced, but kept silent. Zim typed a few commands into the control board, then leaned back as the viewscreen began displaying Dib's memories of Invader Stok.


	14. Rescued

**Note: **Just for the record, this is not, in any way, shape, or form, a ZADR. Any awkward moments between Dib and Zim are there because… well… do you think it's easy having someone be an enemy for years and then suddenly you're on speaking terms with them? That's awkward!

………………………………………………………………

_Amazing. These humans place such importance on their memories that when reviewed clearly, their emotions are impacted precisely the same way as before._ Zim studied Dib's tear-streaked face, wincing at the salty-poison streams. Afraid Dib would catch him staring, Zim turned to watch the viewscreen.

Dib's memories of Invader Stok had been playing for hours, from being held in her arms as a toddler to his sixth birthday party. The viewscreen featured the end of the "party".

………………………………………………………………

_"Don't worry, Dib. It's still early, you'll have friends eventually."_

_Six-year-old Dib turned to face his Mamá sadly. "No, Mamá, I know they don't like me. I know they never will. They think ghosts and things are silly, I don't. I'm just… different."_

_Invader Stok gathered him in her arms and rocked him back and forth._

_"Why wasn't Dad here?" Dib's voice trembled._

_Stok held him tighter, a note of anger in her voice. "He had a project at the lab, sweetheart. He'll be back tonight."_

_Dib nodded weakly and burrowed deeper in her embrace._

………………………………………………………………

Zim paused the frame for a moment and studied it. For a hologram, Stok's disguise wasn't too bad. In fact, by Earth standards, she was relatively attractive. Deep, black hair that was almost purple reached to her knees when not braided out of the way. She had designed a slender but hardy shell structure and a firm, motherly countenance, but she had kept her violet eye-color.

"It's my fault, you know."

Zim glanced sidelong at Dib and snorted. "How could it have been your fault? You were a smeetling. You could not have given intergalactic coordinates, and the Tallest at the time could not have seen through a hologram as sophisticated as Invader Stok designed. She was good at that sort of thing, apparently."

"How do you know?" Dib retorted.

Zim locked eyes with him. "She fooled _you_."

Dib couldn't take his eyes off the screen. "But that box, it must have had some sort of homing device in it that I activated. Over a stupid grasshopper! You never knew her, Zim. She may have bred you, or however you Irkins describe being born, but the only parents you ever knew were your PAK and this control brain you talk about!"

Anger bubbled up, but Zim held it in check. "Your point, _human_?"

"I knew her! I cared about her! I loved—her." The Dib had trouble speaking. "She was m-my anchor. D-dad didn't c-care, h-he barely came ar-around. And I dest-troyed her."

Alarmed to see Dib spinning completely out of control, Zim ordered, "Enough of that! You are… how many years have you?"

Stammering furiously, Dib blurted, "N-never you-hoo mind. When something h-hurts this b-badly Zi-im, age doesn't-doesn't matter. Humans don't-on't just sh-shut down on the-their feel-ings like Irkins!"

"Well in case you haven't noticed, Dib, you aren't even human!" Zim glowered.

"Sh-shut up!" Dib stood up and screamed. "Y-you're so full of it, aren't y-you? You think e-everything measures up-to the Ir-Irkin standard, well you're-ou're bloody wrong! You h-have no idea what it's l-like to have spent years hat-hating something, trying t-to catch it and put i-it away, and then fi-ind out that that thing is yourself!" Worn out from tears and screams, Dib sank back into his seat. Zim just sat back, shocked by the outburst.

A few minutes passed in silence. Zim shifted and grouched, "Well, are you going to go into hysterics and rip your stitches if I start your memories up again?" The human shook his head, and Zim, on a whim, fast-forwarded to the moment the ship had stripped Stok of her hologram.

………………………………………………………………

_A giant ship hovers above his house. His mother is in the garden, just outside his window. She is staring at the ship, utterly frozen in place, her trowel still in her hand._

"_Invader Stok, disperse the hologram."_

"_No," she pleads. "No, he mustn't see, somewhere else, please!"_

"_Disperse the hologram."_

"_NO!"_

_She clenches her hands around the trowel. Her form begins to ripple, faster and faster and faster. Dib can't look away. Within seconds, his Mamá's olive-tan skin, rippling black hair, and deep violet eyes are replaced with shockingly green skin, two antennae, and deep violet orbs, pleading mercy._

………………………………………………………………

"She put up a strong resistance." Zim offered. Surprised, Dib shot him a questioning look. "It took that ship ten seconds to destroy her hologram, that's a record. The usual resistance only lasts half that time." Dib nodded half-heartedly.

"Hey, Master, how come the sky's gone all gray?" GIR bounded into view.

Zim rolled his eyes. "The sky isn't gray, GIR, because there is no sky. We're not in Earth's atmosphere yet."

"Then why's the window gray?"

"It's not gray, unless you put paint on it."

"Then why'm I seein' gray?" the robot persisted.

Gritting his teeth, Zim stomped to the cargo bay and peered out a window. "Odd, it is gray out. Where are the stars? The planets? The blackness of space? Space isn't gray." Visual enhancers leaped from his PAK and locked onto his eyes.

**Scanning… Scanning… Scanning… Data report: It is gray.**

"I know that!" Yelled Zim. "What is it?"

**It is a spaceship.**

"Irk! It's too close, we'll have a collision any moment now!" Zim dashed for the cockpit, skidding to a halt at the next data readout.

**The spaceship is not next to us. The spaceship is not above us. The spaceship is not below us. The spaceship is around us.**

"Explain!" Zim hissed.

**Say please.**

"I AM ZIM!" He shrieked. "I AM AN INVADER, AND INVADERS DO NOT SAY PLEASE!"

The readout darkened, then flashed bright magenta-orange and replayed Zim's worst nightmare.

_"I'm gonna sing the Doom song! Doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom—"_

"PLEASE!" he squealed.

**During your exceedingly long discourse with Dib a tractor beam locked onto the Voot Cruiser and pulled it in.**

"Why did you not tell me?" He wailed.

**You were busy and GIR was much nicer to be with.**

Zim jammed the enhancers back into his PAK, reminding himself never to let GIR play with his gadgets.

At that moment the entire side of the Cruiser was ripped away, throwing the alien against the far wall.

"Zim, what's going—" Dib peeked back and his eyes widened.

There in the gaping hole stood Professor Membrane.

"Dad!"


	15. Retold

**Note:** Sorry I had Dib say "bloody" in the last chapter, I know it's not something Dib would say. I also write in the Great Mouse Detective category and writing in a London dialect has caught up with me. )

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Dazed, Zim could do little but sprawl where he had landed. From his position on the floor, he could see Professor Membrane's trademark labcoat and boots draw nearer.

"No," he muttered weakly, "They will… not… take Zim." Groaning, he extended the self-destruct mechanism, which fixed itself to his wrist. One moment all he could see was the little red button that would end his existence. The next, all he could feel was searing pain as the Professor's boot came down on the device and his arm with a sickening crunch.

"Gah!" He writhed. "You think you can besssst Zim? Hssst…Never! You ssssssshall never bessssssst me!" He hissed in pain.

"I believe I have done just that." The Professor replied in a bored tone. He spoke into his sleeve briefly, and seconds later Zim was surrounded by a team of scientists, all wearing yellow hazard suits. One of them slapped what looked like a wad of used chewing gum on his PAK. Anger rising, Zim activated his spider legs to pull himself to a safer spot. Nothing happened. Horrified, he tried again, but his PAK would not obey.

"What type of filthy earthling-gum is that?" He spat.

"A simple compound that absorbs the radio waves or brain waves or whatever sort of waves you use to communicate with your PAK." Membrane smirked. "Dib invented it."

"Since when did you start _believing_ me, Dad?" Dib shoved two scientists aside and planted himself in front of the Professor. "It was always, 'Of course, son,' 'Whatever you say, Dib,' 'Why wouldn't I believe Zim has a skin condition, plenty of people do,' and all of a sudden you make a 180?"

Surprised, Professor Membrane just stood there for a few moments, but that was all Zim needed. He pulled himself up and kicked the nearest scientist in the jaw, somersaulting over the hands that stretched to grab him. Clutching his shattered arm he darted to the very back of the cargo bay and ducked behind a crate of taquitos where GIR sat, happily munching away.

"HI MASTER!" He shrieked. "I GOT TAQUITOS, WANT SOME?"

Zim winced and laid back his antennae. "GIR, Operation R&R in silent mode with "stinks" override, passcode Delta-amma-beta-5!"

GIR's eyes flamed red and he mouthed, _Yes sir!_ Dropping the taquito, his form began to warp and shrink. As he reached the size and look of a palm-pilot, one of the scientists dropped a small net over them.

Growling, he fought off the instinct to struggle, knowing it would only entangle him. Instead he grabbed GIR with his good arm and forced his skinny wrist through one of the net's holes.

"Take him into the Cryo-chamber and freeze him for the trip home." Ordered the Professor.

Four scientists grabbed different portions of the net and lifted Zim up, carrying him past an open-mouthed Dib. Snarling, he screamed, "Curse you, wormy Dib-beast! You haven't heard the last of Zim, you will be repaid in full by the Irkin Empire if anything happens to me! Do you hear me? I swear it!" With that, he threw GIR at Dib's head.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Throwing up his arms, Dib easily caught the small lump Zim threw at him. He watched numbly as the insane little Irkin was carried out of view.

"Will the Irkin Empire come for him, you think?" rumbled Professor Membrane.

Dib shook his head. "No, he was given the death sentence for being the smeet… of… Invader Stok." He turned to face his father, who was fidgeting with his gloves. "Dad? All this time you knew I was right, and you didn't tell me? Worse, you knew I was half alien _and you didn't tell me?_"

"Son—"

"Why did you marry her? How did she come? When did she come? Did she use some kind of mind-warping tool to make you fall in love with her or—"

"I didn't know she was an alien!" He yelled.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

Leaning back in his seat, Dib sighed. _Hate Dad. Hate life. And just for once? I hate humans._ He stared blankly at the stacks of files on the desk before him, the files that held every scrap of research, spying, and evidence he had gathered on Zim. Even photos from film rolls Zim had confiscated. All of it was there, laid out. _Gotta give 'em this, the team Dad pulled together to watch him was good._

_But why?—_He slammed his fist into the wall, the pain in his knuckles dimming the pain in his heart. _He knew. He knew I was right about Zim. He knew I was half-alien and worse, he killed Mamá._

_But not directly!_ He rationalized.

_Giving the Tallest directions to our house? When he _knew_ they would kill her? If that's not murder, my name's not Dib!_

_Maybe he lied about that too._

He replayed the scene over and over in his mind, trying to find a way to make it mean something different.

_He didn't know she was an alien, he says. She didn't tell until she was pregnant with Gaz, then he couldn't bear to touch her. She got mad, thought he didn't love her anymore because she'd told him. He didn't want a scandal, he was about to get big government funding for his pet project. He found her Irkomm and contacted the Tallest to get rid of his problem, conveniently "forgetting" to mention Gaz and me. Found out I saw her demise and erased my memory. It's all nice and neat, everybody's happy. The aggressive Irkin is in the freezer, soon the autopsy table, and the Irkin that would dare to mix with the human race is dead._

His ears rang with his father's condemning words.

_"Dib, you of all people should know why. Aliens cannot by allowed on earth. Militant ones like Zim would take it over and fugitive ones like Stok would dilute the human race!"_

"But that's just what the Tallest said!" Shouted Dib, punching the wall again. Blood ran down the back of his hand. He stared at it thoughtfully. "What am I?" he asked brokenly. Leaning against the wall he vowed, "When this ship lands, I'm gone. I don't care how, I don't care where, I'm going. I'm getting as far away from him as I can. Gaz doesn't know, so she won't care. This whole thing just stinks!"

His pocket bulged, and he yelped as extra weight made him stagger across the room. He watched in astonishment as his pocket split and the lump of metal he had put there reshaped and ballooned into the shape of…

"GIR?"

The robot's eyes glowed a dangerous red as he clicked his heels and saluted. "Ready for orders, Master."


	16. Help Me

Dib stepped back. "What do you mean, 'Master'? Zim's not here—and why are you in duty-mode?"

"It is understood, Invader Zim is not present. Duty-mode is locked."

"O-okay, so why are you calling me 'Master'?"

"You gave passcode override 'stinks' as specified by Invader Zim. Operation R&R silent mode standing by."

"Wait, wait, Operation R&R? Like Rest & Recreation?" Dib asked hopefully.

"Rescue & Reconnaissance." Corrected the stoic robot.

"Rescue? Wh—Zim?"

"Affirmative."

Dib stared at GIR for a moment, then collapsed to the floor laughing hysterically. "Of all the silliest (gasp wheeze) stupidest things to (pant pant) ask, _me helping Zim?_ Really GIR, that's too much, even for you!"

"Invader Zim assisted you."

Dib stopped. Raising himself to eye-level with the hopelessly defective SIR, he spoke low and evenly. "Yes, only after he took me to his ship and laid open my guts, only after he took me to his Tallest and let them humiliate me, and only because they would have killed him too."

GIR stared at him, red eyes wavering. "Standing by for commands, Master."

"What? Me? Oh no, not me not saving that alien no way! He pulled me apart and he laughed about it! No, he's gonna get dissected too and I'm gonna see it happen, and I'm gonna laugh in his pain-ridden face." He leaned against the wall, smirking.

GIR's eyes melted into cyan briefly, and he shook his head sadly. "Master still gave orders. I gotta go even if you won't help, big-head! I reeeely thought you'd help me." With that he began shrinking. Dib watched impassively as GIR scuttled under his door, no bigger than a spider.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Dib kicked open the door to his lab, glad to be home again. _How many months was I out there anyway? Nah, it doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm back._ He stretched, wincing as his stomach pulled tight. Peeling off his shirt, he gazed at the jagged scar running the length of his stomach. _Well, whatever happens to him now, he's made sure to leave his mark. Permanently._ Angrily, he jammed his shirt back on and stalked over to his mainframe computer, pausing to stroke the CPU lovingly.

After seating himself in his chair, his fingers fairly flew over the keyboard. _There's so much to report to The Swollen Eyeball! I've got to write it all down._

Time lost meaning as Dib detailed every moment of his experience, barely stopping for a restroom break. So when he heard a strong knock at the door, he started in surprise.

"Come in," he called.

There stood his dad, dressed head to toe in white, as usual. "Son! Great news, I contacted some of the highest ranking scientists in the known world and they're all coming to see the tests and dissection I'll be running on the alien." He puffed out his chest proudly.

"Great, Dad." Dib muttered, turning back to the computer.

Deflated, Professor Membrane stammered, "I—I came in to tell you that I wanted you to make the first cut."

Dib paused, frozen. "What was that?"

"I wanted you to make the first cut—in the dissection. Actually, I was hoping you'd do most of it." He dipped his head ominously. "We downloaded all the information from that PAK of his, including his memories. I saw what he did." Dib shuddered. "No son of mine is treated like that, no! You did well under such circumstances, Dib, and you should reap the reward; revenge. So I want you to come to the lab tomorrow afternoon. We'll run the tests before we cut him open. Alright son?"

Stunned, Dib mouthed, "Sure."

Membrane beamed. "That's my boy! Well, here's your I.D. card so they'll let you pass. See you tomorrow afternoon at 4:00, sharp!" With that he turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Zim shivered in the flimsy hospital gown they had dressed him in. If he never saw the inside of a Cryo-freeze chamber again, he'd be a happy Irkin. He burrowed under the one blanket they had provided him, all too aware of the cameras recording his every move.

He had given up trying to remove the gum; it seemed resistant to his fingers and skin. _Figures, knowing Dib._ And after banging his fists against the solid steel cell for hours and screaming threats in English and Irkish, he realized he would not escape.

So he lay curled on the cot they had provided, terrified of what the next day would bring, and desperately praying that GIR would somehow be able to get him out.


	17. Hope Crushed

_Must find Master, must find Master, must find Master._

_Who's Master?_

_Dib. No, Zim. Dib said no._

_Must find Master! Long hall. Ooooh, the people are biiiiig!_

_No, you're small._

_Oh yeah, hey, what's that noise?_

_It's him! That's master, and—he's screaming!_

_HOLD ON MASTER!_

…………………………………………………………………………………………

_So bright… how can there be so much white in one room?_ Zim's scarlet eyes shone with pain. Strapped to a white, metal table, he had had to arch his back uncomfortably because of his PAK, but he arched it now for a completely different reason.

The humans had injected a single drop of water in his veins.

_Oh how it burns!_ Racing through his organs, scattering his neurons, the molecule of hydrogen and oxygen wreaked painful havoc on its chaotic journey through his body, and he could feel every step. A cry of pain broke from him, while the scientific team watched on.

"Fools!" rasped Zim. "If that drop keeps going through my system you'll have nothing left to look at. Gah!"

A couple of scientists shifted uneasily, but Professor Membrane waved his hand. "He's just trying to get us to stop, you know how it works, you've seen how arcane torture did. It drove the victim to say anything in order to get the pain to stop, but we won't let him fool us. Water is utterly harmless."

"He's right, Dad." Dib pushed through the security-locked door to the experiment room. "Listen to me, Irkins can't absorb water, and it's like acid to them. You'd better purge his system before it melts his organs."

Membrane hesitated a moment, then patted his son's head. "As you say, Dib. Begin the purge, Dr. Iyka."

Soothing calm took the place of burning agony. Zim crumpled against his restraints, landing painfully on his PAK. Glaring at the lab coats surrounding him, he wheezed, "Release me! Release me now or suffer the wrath of Zim!"

"You are in no position to be giving orders, alien." Membrane informed him coldly. "It will be over shortly anyway. Your dissection is scheduled for two hours from now." He turned aside briefly as a team member whispered something to him.

Zim's breath caught, fear locking his antennae straight. His breath began to come in gasps and a small whimper escaped him.

In a flash, Dib was at his side. "Don't show him fear!" he whispered tersely. "Don't let him get to you, and for heaven's sake be strong! You're representing your race and planet."

Blinking in surprise, Zim deliberately slowed his breathing, regulated his heartbeat, and set his jaw defiantly.

Annoyed, the Professor turned back and explained, "We'll have to delay the dissection another hour. It's raining, and that's causing difficulties with the airplane Dr. Iseen A. Problem is on. Oh well. We'll be able to conduct a few more experiments though."

A flash of red. Dr. Iyka's skull exploded, plastering the wall and nearby humans with bloody gore.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Instantly dropping to the floor, Dib rolled under the table Zim lay on.

"You came!" Zim shrilled above him. "Oh you wonderful, stupid robot, you came!"

"Master!" Came a shriek. Dib peeped his head out to see a cyan-red object hurtle toward Zim and latch onto his neck.

"G—k… GIR, can't… air… need…"

"Awww, Master needs more wuv."

"No, G--!" There was a crack and Zim went limp. Dib crept out further, ignoring his father's frantic calls for security.

Something seemed to register dimly in the overjoyed circuits of the android. He released Zim from his deathly strong embrace and poked him.

"Master? Master, wake up! I gonna get you outta here! You'll be safe then. We can make cake! Master?" The prodding became more frantic. GIR grabbed Zim's shoulders and shook him back and forth. "Master! Don't leave me all 'lone! I does bad stuff when you leaves me 'lone. You gotta yell an' say 'No GIR!' so I knows what not to do! Master, Master come back! I be good, I promise, I be gooooooooooooooood!"

GIR's wail shook the room. The insane little robot buried his face in his Master's hospital gown and sobbed, his tears causing Zim's skin to smoke.

Dib felt a lump in his throat as well. He pulled himself up and placed his hand on GIR's shoulder.

His world flipped and he flew across the room, smashing into the wall. Groaning, he shook his head to clear his vision, and saw GIR's face, eyes flashing red with fury.

"You! Why didn't you help? If you'd'a helped, Master'd still be… be…" GIR collapsed onto Dib's chest, weeping hysterically.

Dib heard security guards pounding at the door. He ducked his head and whispered, "GIR, I need you to trust me. Will you trust me?" GIR sniffled, raised his trusting blue eyes to Dib's, and nodded.

With a deep breath, Dib flipped a switch at the back of GIR's neck. The droid registered a moment of surprise, then toppled over in a senseless heap of metal.

**Note: **Okay, before you get out the tar and feathers, neither GIR nor Zim are dead.


	18. Heard

Security blasted through the door, laser guns blazing. "Where is 'e?" One burly guard roared. "Where is th' little bugger?"

"Dib's got it!" Someone yelled.

The guards rushed Dib, who threw up his arms and cried, "No, wait, it's safe now! It self-destructed."

Suspicious, the guard growled, "Gimme a look-see." Obediently Dib turned GIR over, his heart catching at the sight of his gray, unresponsive eyes.

"Yep, all clear." Security mumbled reluctantly.

"Blast that idiotic little machine! Membrane spewed vehemently. "He destroyed the test subject."

Clutching GIR, Dib ran over to Zim's still form. His PAK was flashing furiously, red and orange and pink. Dib cautiously unlocked his restraints and turned him over on his stomach. Breathing a quick prayer, he laid his ear against the PAK and was rewarded by the sound of an irregular humming and whirring.

"He's okay, Dad." His relief fueled aggravation. "GIR broke something, but Zim's PAK is sending nanobots into his system to repair the damage."

"Who is GIR?" His father frowned.

Dib cursed his slip. "Uh, the robot, he used to be Zim's."

His father's eyes gleamed. "Fascinating. And he lived with the alien all this time? Think of the data we could harvest from it!" The professor drew nearer, his hands stretched out hungrily.

Dib backed away. "Hold up, Dad, what about Zim? I thought we were going to deal with him. I'll hold onto the robot for now and we can pull him apart after we're through with Zim."

Membrane paused, glancing quickly at the other scientists in the room. Satisfied that they were busy dealing with the remains of Dr. Iyka, he grabbed Dib's shoulder and guided him to the far corner.

"Look, son, I realize these past few weeks have been difficult on you and you're a bit confused, but what is going on in your mind?"

Dib swallowed. "What do you mean?"

"You are hiding something from me, I think." He held up a gloved hand to silence Dib's protest. "And I want something to be perfectly clear, son. If it's anything about this project and the test subject, you must tell me. A lot of very important people are interested in this, son. It could mean big money for my research. It could also open up some very important connections for you and your work. Think about it, son. Credibility for your claims, credibility!" He beamed brightly and strode off.

Dib clenched his arms around GIR. "You could have given me credibility. One word from you would have backed everything I ever said."

Muttering that he needed to use the bathroom, he dashed out of the room and pelted down the hall.


	19. Heck with Earth!

The door to the men's restroom flew open with a bang, startling a bony old man who was finishing his business. Not stopping once, Dib crashed into the nearest stall and locked the door.

He sat on the edge of the toilet, staring at GIR. "What now?" He asked despairingly. "What do I do?"

He hung his head, trying to make sense of all the thoughts whirling through his head. _Stupid Zim! It was so much easier when we were just enemies!_ He kicked the stall door dejectedly. _So what now?_ He stretched. _Can I save Zim in good conscience? His whole purpose in life while on Earth was to take it over and destroy it._

_Do you really owe anything to Earth still?_

_Yes! It's my planet, my…_

_Race? You're joking, right? Wake up, you're an intergalactic mutt!_

_But… I've lived here all my life… that's gotta mean something!_

_Not really. Every last one of them already think you're off your nut, and if they found out you were part alien, how long do you think it would take them to subpoena Dad into strapping _you_ to the autopsy table?_

_Not long at all. But surely they'd find out about all the times I've saved them!_

_Do you think they'd care? Or believe that truck? They never did before._

Dib yanked at his black sickle hair. _And what could Zim do now? He's an intergalactic outlaw. The Irkin Armada would just fly here and sniff him out, me too probably. And Dad? He'd just bargain for our remains so he could figure out what makes us tick._

_Good grief, I'm thinking in terms of "us" now!_

His face softened. _But it is, isn't it? He is my… my… brother._ He gagged at the thought, but the fact was undeniable. _Oh boy, this will really tick Dad off. Heck, what am I thinking? When has he cared about anything or anyone but his precious research? He'll disown me and come after me like I'm an escaped experiment! And what about… Gaz!_

"She won't be safe either," he realized. "I've got to get her and Zim off-planet, then we can figure something out."

Determination hardened in him as he reached down and flipped the switch at GIR's neck.

………………………………………………………………………………………

_"You! Why didn't you help? If you'd'a helped, Master would be…"_

_"Will you trust me?"_

_Blackness…_

GIR blinked. "Why iiiiiiis your head so big?"

Dib's face cracked in a smile. "Hi GIR. You okay?"

GIR nodded. "I want tacos. Where's mah…"

_HOLD ON MASTER!_

_Dib said no._

Me helping Zim?_ Really GIR, that's too much even for you!_

GIR's eyes flamed. "You refused the rescue mission!" His hands locked around Dib's throat and tightened.

Dib's hands flew to his throat as he tried to move GIR's hands. "No… GIR, wait!" He gasped for air. "…Zim… gotta save… dissect… soon… stop!"

GIR's eyes flickered doubtfully, then he released Dib, who gulped in great draughts of air. "Big-head's got a big-plan?" he chirped hopefully.

"Yes GIR, I've got a plan." Dib rubbed his neck and winced. "But you have to listen. If even one thing goes wrong or you do something crazy, Zim will probably die. Do you understand? I can't lock you into duty mode, you're going to have to control yourself or you'll never see Zim again."

The poor little bot struggled with all his might to grasp the concept. "If I's bad this time," he said slowly, "Then Master no come back?"

"That's right, GIR. You have to listen to me to bring him back."

GIR nodded happily. "Okee-dokee, what's'a plan?"

………………………………………………………………………………………

Pain rippled up Zim's spine and he growled ferociously. The nanobots were thorough, but using them always hurt. "What idiot came up with PAKs anyways?" he mumbled.

"He's awake! Restrain the alien." Cold metal clamps seized his wrists and legs, hoisting him up and off the table. He hung about three feet from the floor, held spread-eagle by four robotic arms.

Professor and Dib Membrane strode out of the shadows. Disbelief washed through Zim as he caught sight of Dib, clothed from head to toe in white like his father. He quailed at the sight of the sharp instruments lining the pockets of their lab coats.

_What did you expect?_ He thought harshly. _This has been Dib's dream ever since he laid eyes on you._

His eyes narrowed into slits. _But I will be strong. I will give them no satisfaction. Dib was weak, he had no training against pain. I will not scream, I am better than that._

Professor Membrane strode to a dark pane of glass in the wall and began making a speech to it, gesturing grandly to the captive Irkin. Zim sniffed in disdain. _An audience for the execution, wonderful. So nice of them to stay behind a one-way mirror, so I have the semblance of privacy._ He spat at Membrane in disgust. The Professor merely dodged the globule of saliva and continued speaking.

………………………………………………………………………………………

Dib stepped forward, withdrawing a razor-sharp scalpel.

_Last chance, Dib. What you've always dreamed of, right here in your grasp! No one needs to know you're half alien, Dad will protect you!_

_As long as you don't get in his way._

_But I deserve this! _He_ got to rip_ me_ open._

_But that's just it, isn't it?_ He stood face to face with Zim, staring at his reflection in those blood red eyes. _I know what that's like, and nobody, not even Zim, should have to feel that kind of humiliation and pain. I never would have seen it before…_ He leaned forward and whispered in Zim's ear, "Operation R & R in progress."


	20. Betrayed

**Note:** I'm sorry I didn't upload this sooner, but I committed an infraction on FanFiction in another story (which was promptly removed) and was locked out for a week. A whole freaking week! I guess they know what they're doing, but it still makes me mad.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

With a flick of the wrist, Dib sent the scalpel flying through the nearest computer terminal. Sparks flew and the robotic arms began to spasm, flinging Zim around. The Professor spun around, startled.

"Dad, he's using telepathy!" Dib howled, getting behind Zim. "I gotta disable his PAK!" He gripped the gum and yanked it off Zim's PAK, stumbling away as if he had been thrown back.

Spider legs shot from the PAK and sawed through the robotic arms, sending Zim crashing to the floor. With a grunt, he wobbled upright, snatching a surgical knife. In a second he was towering over Dib, spider legs splayed. He seized the boy by the collar of his coat and pressed the knife to his neck, yelling, "Alright! Where is the exit to this stinking lab?"

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Dib caught his breath. _This is it. The real test. Zim doesn't know which door to go through. Dad could send us out the right way or… _He bit his lip, trying not to think of the alternative. He knew every door and hall in the building, but said nothing, silently begging his father to care if he lived or died.

Professor Membrane froze in indecision. Zim poked Dib. "Well?"

Membrane pointed stiffly at one of the four unmarked doors in the room. Dib slumped in Zim's grip, throwing his Dad a look of utter betrayal.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Zim felt Dib begin to fall and clutched his shoulder tighter. "Come, Dib, we must leave." he spoke into his ear. Louder, he said, "Don't try to follow me, or he's dead!" With that he plunged through the door into a pitch black hall. The door slammed shut behind them and locked with a click.

"Don't breathe, Zim." Dib's voice echoed down the hall. "They're going to gas this hall any second now, try not to breathe."

Dumping Dib on the floor, Zim spread his spider legs as far apart as he could and activated a force field, enveloping them both and lighting up the hall. Seconds later a murky, cloudy yellow vapor poured in through the ceiling.

Zim picked up Dib again and rolled his force-field ball down the hall to the far end. _The oxygen will only last so long. How big is this filthy hall? Ah! A door. _ Not stopping, they rolled through and shattered the door, startling the techies in the hall. One opened his mouth to protest when the murky yellow cloud rolled out from behind them and surrounded him. His eyes rolled back and he threw himself to the ground, shrieking. His nose, mouth, and ears spurted blood while he tore frantically at his eyes. Shuddering, Zim rolled on through the room as the humans were felled by the foul gas.

With Dib grunting directions, Zim fairly flew through the twisting passageways and rooms of Labrats Inc. Occasionally they came face to face with barricades, but these were quickly disarmed. However the closer they got to the exit, the more barricades there seemed to be.

"Victory is at hand!" Zim crowed as he spotted a sign pointing toward the exit, but his heart stopped when he saw the final barricade. Not mere wood and steel, this one formed a wall of contorted electricity. _Irk! The electricity can't hurt me, not with my force field and PAK protection, but Dib! He couldn't take it, even if the shield could absorb most of it. His shell is too fragile! Curse you, Membrane!_

He tensed as the Professor stepped in front of the barricade. The man stretched out his hands. "My son," he demanded. "Give me back my son."

Pulling Dib close, Zim snarled, "Now you want him back? You never wanted him before, never cared before! I've seen his memories, and I know enough about Earth to know that you didn't fulfill your familial duties!"

"I protected him. They could have taken him and Gaz apart, but I didn't let them!" Membrane yelled.

Dib gazed at his father with hate-filled eyes. "Look me in the face and tell me you wouldn't have let me die in that hallway, that if I died you wouldn't have cut me open to look at my insides. Tell me you would never have run experiments on me for the good of mankind."

Membrane straightened, but avoided Dib's eyes. "Son, science is everything. I cannot expect you to understand, being a child, but there is more at stake than just—"

"TELL ME!" Dib screamed.

Membrane brought his eyes up to Dib's and said stoically, "I would never have done these things to you."

Dib's face twisted in rage. "LIAR! I _saw_ what you did, I _remember!"_

Membrane winced and Zim laid his antennae back against his skull, fury coursing through him. The memory download had reached deeply into Dib's mind, unearthing every single memory, no matter how deeply buried or painful, and Zim too had seen what had been done.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

_"Dad? What's that?" Little Dib sat on a plain, white table, wearing only a pair of shorts. He took in the sterile room around him with wide eyes, but what captured his attention was the device in his Dad's hands._

_"Just a little invention of mine, Son. It's going to tell me some things about what's inside of you."_

_"Inside of me?" Dib was confused. "But nobody can see what's inside me."_

_Membrane chuckled. "I can, with this." He set a large box beside Dib. It had a large screen on the front and lots of colorful buttons and knobs on the sides. Membrane took two alligator clamps and attached one to each of Dib's arms._

_Dib shifted uncomfortably. "Dad, it hurts. Can you take it off?"_

_"In a few minutes, Son."_

_"But Dad, it really hurts!"_

_"Quiet, Son. It's almost ready."_

_Dib bit his lip as his Dad set the box on his lap. His skinny legs protested at the weight, but Dib kept silent, until his Dad pushed the yellow button._

_Pain flashed up his arms and exploded in his chest. "Da—" He yelped. It was as if a hundred bees had been trapped in his ribcage and every last one of them was stinging him. His mouth hung open and his limbs lost feeling. He could not speak, but his eyes pleaded, _Make it stop!

_The Professor glanced into his son's eyes briefly, then glued his face to the readout on the strange box. Blood ran down Dib's arms and he passed out._

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Professor drew himself up and said coldly, "Dib, the world is bigger than you. You may not understand how unusual your position is, but I do, and I had to make full use of the resources at hand."

"Sure Dad, forgive me for forgetting that even your own children are expendable for the sake of the world." Twisting his neck around, he told Zim, "Up the stairs, to the roof quick!"

Zim bounded for the stairs, leaving one speechless professor standing by his flashing barricade.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Zim was panting hard by the time they cleared twenty floors and reached the roof. Dropping his shields, he retracted his spider legs and set Dib down. "Okay, Dib-beast, what's the plan now?"

Dib ran to the edge of the roof and peered down. Grinning, he gave a shrill whistle and stepped back from the edge. A tremor shook the building as the Voot Cruiser rose into view. The cockpit bubble opened and GIR sprang out.

"MASTER! YOU ALIVE! YOU WAKEDED! DIB NO LIE, DIB HELPED LIKE HE SAID! YAAAAAAYYY!" GIR ran and latched onto his Master's leg, squeezing much more gently. Suddenly he let go and moved back, a worried look on his face. "Master? You mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad at you, GIR?"

"Cause I did bad, I made you go 'way for a while." GIR hung his head.

Zim strode over and wrapped his arms around the robot. "It's okay, GIR, it's okay." He lifted the weeping unit and slipped into the cruiser, Dib close on his heels. With a roar, the ship lifted up and blasted off, trailing smoke into the clear sky.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

"You… are… going… to suffer… my wrath." Gaz gritted out. She banged her fists on the door again and again. "Dib! If you and your little green friend don't open this door right now and tell me why a psycho robot kidnapped me and locked me in this ship, I will personally throw you into such a deep pit of despair you will never see the light of day again!"

"Um, Gaz?" Dib's weary voice grated on her nerves. "Listen, you can do whatever you want to me if you let me explain something to you first."

A small grin tugged at her mouth. "Whatever?"

She could almost hear Dib shudder. "Whatever. Now if we let you out, will you listen to us first?"

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever."

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Professor Membrane poked at the ruins of the most advanced computer he had ever seen. Zim had destroyed his own base before absconding with his children, and not much was left to salvage.

Angrily, he kicked at a picture of a yellow and green monkey. It tumbled aside, revealing a monitor, completely intact. Frowning, he reached down and fumbled with the complicated knobs and buttons. The screen crackled and hissed as it came to life, revealing two rather astonished aliens dressed completely in purple and red.

Swallowing, Membrane saluted. "Greetings from Earth. Tallest Purple, Tallest Red, it has been a while. I apologize for contacting you again, but there is a rather urgent matter you should know about. A certain defective alien of your race has escaped and kidnapped my two children. I will tell you what I know and aid you in finding all three if I may be allowed the remains when you are finished."

THE END

**Note:** This is all for this story, most likely I will write a sequel. But first I would like to tackle a fiction challenge put forward by Invader Sideos and also write a brief history for GIR. Until then. Oh, and if anyone has any ideas to throw out for the sequel, let me know and **_if_** I use them I will give you credit.


End file.
